Do It Yourself (2)

Determinedly Discipline Other Things. This is another difficult aspect of the strenuous nature of sainthood. Paul said, according to the Moffatt translation of this verse, “…I take every project prisoner to make it obey Christ….” So much Christian work today has never been disciplined, but has simply come into being by impulse! In our Lord’s life every project was disciplined to the will of His Father. There was never the slightest tendency to follow the impulse of His own will as distinct from His Father’s will— “the Son can do nothing of Himself…” (John 5:19). Then compare this with what we do— we take “every thought” or project that comes to us by impulse and jump into action immediately, instead of imprisoning and disciplining ourselves to obey Christ.

Practical work for Christians is greatly overemphasized today, and the saints who are “bringing every thought [and project] into captivity” are criticized and told that they are not determined, and that they lack zeal for God or zeal for the souls of others. But true determination and zeal are found in obeying God, not in the inclination to serve Him that arises from our own undisciplined human nature. It is inconceivable, but true nevertheless, that saints are not “bringing every thought [and project] into captivity,” but are simply doing work for God that has been instigated by their own human nature, and has not been made spiritual through determined discipline.

We have a tendency to forget that a person is not only committed to Jesus Christ for salvation, but is also committed, responsible, and accountable to Jesus Christ’s view of God, the world, and of sin and the devil. This means that each person must recognize the responsibility to “be transformed by the renewing of [his] mind….” (Romans 12:2).

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Defenders of the faith are inclined to be bitter until they learn to walk in the light of the Lord. When you have learned to walk in the light of the Lord, bitterness and contention are impossible. Biblical Psychology, 199 R

What a hard pill to swallow today. dogbone & kenro, I hear you loud and clear. It is a conundrum, isn’t it? On the one hand, we all know that the answer is to “deny ourselves”, pick up our crosses and follow Jesus; the end of which we will find the peace dogbone speaks of and the exhilaration of God’s blessing on us. But, too often we’re willing to settle for so much less because we won’t (not can’t) overcome our unruly flesh and so we live beneath the life that God calls us to and wants for us that was purchased for us with Christ’s blood. My question is exactly how do I take every thought/project captive & discipline to the Will of God? What does that look like? Prayer? If that’s the case, it gives new meaning to 1 Thes. 5:17, huh?

I agree, dogbone. When my flesh wants to resist, it will resist hard. At that point, I have to ask he Lord to reveal any selfishness, stubbornness or pride within me. Then after He does that, I have to go through the grueling process of submitting THAT to the Lord. Every thought, every project…every little thing of me that does not reflect the character of Christ. When we become born again…..as a babe in the Kindgom of God, I find myself having to unlearn ALOT from the old man in order to learn new to grow in the new man that God has called me to be. Sometimes I wish God would give me a spiritual lobotomy, but I know that’s not possible. :}

This cycle is challenging, isn’t it? Even reading yesterday’s and today’s readings I can feel my resistance beginning. Surely Oswald doesn’t mean we bring _everything_ under obedience! What about my need to make money? What about my own plans?

The revolutionary thing about Oswald is that he doesn’t explain or apologise when he imparts a truth. My own experience has been that when I trust God completely, even when trusting him seems like the stupidest and most risky thing to do, the thing that flies in the face of common sense, I find peace.

Simple as that. Trust God, find peace. But damn, it’s hard to do when God asks you to trust him with those things that seem so all-important, like feeding your family.